Farmers Market This Weekend

Just one week after celebrating their one-year anniversary, Vita Mart is hosting a farmers market in the Twin Pines Shopping Center parking lot this Saturday, Sept. 27.

Shoppers can find organically grown fruits and vegetables from local farmers including zucchini, squash, rainbow Swiss chard and purple fingerling potatoes. Vita Mart co-owner B.J. Bollier said everyone is welcome to come and sell their crop.

“We still need more farmers,” Bollier said. “I tell people they don’t have to have all the stuff, just bring a chair, some water and sit under the porch to sell. There are no hoops to jump through, I have made it easy.”

Local charity groups will also be on hand, including the Lions Club and the Kiwanis Club.

Bollier said if farmers do not want to stand around and sell, they can drop off their crop and he will sell it for them. The farmers market will take place every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in front of Vita Mart, 512 S. Beeline Highway, into the fall until farmers run out of crops.

Payson is now part of a growing trend of towns hosting their own farmers markets.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the number of farmers markets continues to grow, reaching almost 5,000 in August 2008. This is a 6.8 percent increase since August 2006. Farmers markets promote good eating habits, boost the local economy and allow people to interact with the farmers who grow the produce, according to the USDA. For more information, call (928) 474-4101.